Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre has accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of deceiving the public about his role in the honoring of a former Ukrainian Waffen-SS soldier last year.
Poilievre made his comments after Trudeau’s office confirmed to Canadian media on Tuesday that it had invited the 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka to attend last year’s reception of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Toronto. During World War II, Hunka served in Nazi Germany’s 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS.
According to Trudeau’s spokesman Mohammad Hussain, Hunka did not attend the Toronto event. In September 2023, however, Hunka received a standing ovation in the House of Commons in Ottawa, with Trudeau and Zelensky present in the chamber. The honoring of a man who had fought in Adolf Hitler’s army immediately caused a scandal, forcing House of Common Speaker Anthony Rota to resign. Trudeau apologized at the time for the “terrible mistake” of having “unknowingly” recognized Hunka.